Hard to believe this is the LAST Sunday of Ordinary Time before Ash Wednesday comes along, thus commencing the season of Lent. Much of the hymnody for this weekend are hymns with "Alleluia" repeated multiple times. This was a custom used to "let all the Alleluias ring out" for one final time before having to put them away until the Vigil of Easter.
In the traditional liturgical calendar, the Alleluia was put away even sooner than this. Until the current forms of the Roman Missal were promulgated, we had a three-week "pre-Lent", Sundays known as Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima (70 days, 60 days, and 50 days, not-so-literally speaking, but used symbolically for naming the Sundays), where the Gloria and Alleluia were already put away (the Alleluia chanted before the Gospel was replaced by the Tract back then). In the Extraordinary Form of the Mass (the Traditional Latin Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962), this "pre-Lent" still is observed, thus Septuagesima was observed on January 25, meaning January 18 would have been the last day of Alleluias until Paschaltide.
Incidentally, the Latin word for Lent is "Quadragesima" - 40 days.
Now, without further ado...
MUSIC FOR HOLY MASS
UPDATE II-9-13 11:06 PM: Due to the nasty snowstorm, there was no music at the 5 PM Saturday Mass. The 7:30 AM Sunday Mass will be Low Mass (Missa Recitata/Said Mass) as well. The 9 and 11:15 AM Masses will have music. I will be singing alone from the organ console. Other changes may be made at Father's request, according to attendance, safety issues, etc.
Numbers refer to the Maroon Hymnal this weekend:
Entrance hymn: 347 (Second Tune) Alleluia! sing to Jesus
- (same tune as "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling", which we sang last Sunday)
Gloria (if sung): Mass VIII (Depending on the attendance, this may likely be said instead of sung.)
Responsorial Psalm: In the sight of the angels, I will sing your praises, Lord, music by Owen Alstott (music in the missalette with the readings for February 10)
Alleluia: the Marier Alleluia that we've been using the last few weeks
Offertory hymn: 599 Ye watchers and ye holy ones
- (same tune as a couple of other hymns we've used before: "All creatures of our God and King" and "A hymn of glory let us sing")
Sanctus through Agnus Dei: the settings we've been singing the last few weeks
Communion anthem: organ improvisations by yours truly
Meditation hymn: 211 Come, with us, O blessed Jesus
- The tune used here is Werde Munter, which is the tune used for the beloved classic Jesu, joy of man's desiring, which was arranged as a chorale by Johann Sebastian Bach. The version used here contains Bach's harmony in the hymn, but without all the instrumental interludes, and in a slightly lower key than one would normally hear Jesu Joy. (Listen - this link plays it in two keys; we'll be using the first key, which is the lower.)
Recessional hymn: 54 Alleluia! song of gladness (Listen - move cursor to 16:15 mark for the hymn)
- Look at the text really good in the hymnal, and you'll see the "last time till Easter" theme used here. The tune is titled after its Latin counterpart, Alleluia! Dulce Carmen.
Peace,
BMP
